


Guts and Bolts

by Sniphles2000



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Yandere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 06:09:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6692680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sniphles2000/pseuds/Sniphles2000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Penny adores Ruby. She was the first person to actually accept her. She would do anything for Ruby. Even going so far as to become a real girl... After Penny takes Ruby's advice too literally, mysterious disappearances start happening around Beacon. Read on to find out why...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ciel

-Beacon Academy lunch hall-

Penny and Ruby are both sitting at a table while Ruby eats her lunch.

"So why can't you eat food again?" Ruby asked with her mouth full.

"It gets clogged up inside me and isn't very pleasant to clean out. The same goes for liquids" Penny replied.

Ruby shivered in disgust.

"There are a lot things I'm unable to do because I'm… Well me." Penny said looking glum.

"But just think of all the things that only you can do!" Ruby said with her mouth still full. "You're super strong, you can control all those swords and you can do the robot better than anybody else!"

Penny giggled. "Yeah. I guess you're right, Ruby." She said with a smile. "It's just that sometimes I wish I was more human. So I could be just like you!"

"And how are you gonna do that, silly? Steal human parts from other people?" Ruby laughed jokingly.

It was at this moment that Penny had an idea. A horrible, horrible idea. She wanted to be Ruby's BEST friend and nothing was going to stop her. Not even her programming.

"So anyway, Me and Weiss were walking to the tower when-" Ruby was interrupted by Penny getting up. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I ugh… Have to head back to the ship. General's orders! Hiccup" Penny covered her mouth.

"Oh. Okay! See you later, Penny!" Ruby said while waving.

"See you soon, friend!" Penny shouted as she ran off to the Atlas ship she was stationed in.

-Penny's Room-

Penny is sitting in her room and lying on her stomach with her legs in the air. She is writing in a small green diary with her emblem on the front of it.

"Dear Diary. Today I was given the most brilliant advice by Ruby! She said that to become more human, I can just take other people's parts! It can't be THAT hard right? I need to be subtle about it. I must find someone who no one will notice is missing… Someone who won't be missed…"

It was at that moment that Ciel Soleil knocked on Penny's door.

"Curfew starts in 10 minutes, Ma'am." Ciel said with a monotone voice while pointing at her watch.

Penny paused to think and gave off a massive grin. "Ok. Thank you very much, Ciel." She closed her diary and pretended to look busy.

Ciel then left the room.

It was 3am and Penny was still wide awake. She had a plan and was sticking to it with pure determination. She slowly opened her room door and peeked out. The coast was clear. She snuck through the hallways of the ship, avoiding camera's and guards along the way when she finally reached Ciel's room. She picked the lock with a hair pin and quietly entered, closing the door behind her. Penny had prepared for this. She had raided an Atlas medical bay to find chloroform and a rag. Penny now stood over Ciel's bed.

Ciel was sound asleep with her nightgown on.

"Remember. This is all for Ruby." Penny thought to herself. She covered the rag in chloroform and was ready to strike. Penny slowly moved towards Ciel and, with a quick strike, held the rag to Ciel's mouth and nose with force.

This instantly woke Ciel up and she began to struggle.

Unfortunately her screams and pleads for help were muffled by the rag and she was no match for Penny's strength. Ciel began to fade deeper and deeper into unconsciousness until she was knocked out cold. The last thing she saw was Penny's innocent smile looking down at her.

Penny had completed the first part of her plan. Now came the hard part. Penny pulled out a large bag and stuffed Ciel into it. It was a tight squeeze and she probably broke one of Ciel's fingers, but Penny didn't care. She had one goal and nothing was going to stop her. Penny snuck back to her room with Ciel in the bag. She opened the bag and looked at Ciel.

"I think I'll start off with an arm today." Penny said to herself. She pulled out one of her swords and lifted up Ciel's right arm. "Thank you for your co-operation, Miss Soleil." Penny said as she moved the sword towards Ciel's shoulder. She inserted to point of her sword into the area just under Ciel's shoulder and started to push it in. This drew large amounts of blood which poured down into the bag and onto the knocked out Ciel. Penny stopped when her sword came out of the other side of Ciel's arm. "Perfect!" She said was a grin. Penny started to move the sword back and force, sawing through the bone in Ciel's arm. The took quite a bit of force but Penny managed easily. She sawed back and forth and back and forth, going through the bone and spraying blood all over herself, her room and Ciel who had lost an almost fatal amount of blood at this point. She pushed and pulled faster and faster until her sword had completely cut through Ciel's arm, dismembering it at the shoulder.

Penny smiled with satisfaction. It was a messy job but she was almost finished with it. She wrapped her newly acquired arm in a cloth to stop more blood getting everywhere and placed it on her bed. She looked at Ciel in the bag that was filled with blood. Ciel had now died of blood loss but Penny didn't care. Ciel had something Penny needed to become Ruby's true best friend so she took it. Penny zipped up the bag and hid it under her bed in the mean time. She started scrubbing the floor to get rid of the blood and to ensure there was no visible evidence. Blood was truly a pain to wash out but that didn't stop Penny. Once everything was clean, she turned her attention to the arm that was wrapped in cloth. Penny unwrapped it and paused for a moment. "I've got it!" She said to herself confidently. Penny twisted and popped her own synthetic arm off and placed it in a drawer. She picked up Ciel's right arm and placed it in her socket. Her wires started to merge with the nerves and veins in the new arm. "Ow! Agh!" Penny yelped as she felt the pain of this real body part surge throw her body.

Once the arm was fitted and in place, Penny tried moving it. It worked! The arm was in her full control and worked just like any other arm. Penny decided to look in a full length mirror to see what she looked like with this new arm. Penny neglected to notice one big factor of this plan. She and Ciel had very different skin complexions which made the arm look out of place on Penny's body. "Oh no…" Penny said looking upset. "After all of this work too!" Penny thought for a moment and grinned as she had another idea. She pulled down her sleeve and went into a drawer to pull out a long white glove. She put it on and looked in the mirror again. Nothing was noticeable. "Wonderful!" Penny cheered in victory. She had completed her task.

Penny decided to power down for the night after all that hard work.

-Outside the CCT Tower the next morning-

"Ruby!" Penny shouted as she ran towards her friend.

"Hey there, Penny!" Ruby said as she greeted Penny. "What's with the fancy glove?" She asked looking at Penny's hand.

"Oh this?" Penny held up her gloved hand. "It's just a new thing I'm trying out. Hiccup. Does it look good?"

"Yeah! It looks great on you! You should keep it." Ruby replied with a genuine smile.

"Oh I will." Penny grinned as she hugged Ruby.

Ruby noticed something when Penny hugged her. It was nothing noteworthy or concerning. Just odd. This hug felt warmer than usual. Not in an emotional way but physically. Penny felt warm.

"So are we going to the café?" Penny asked.

"Sure are!" Ruby replied. "C'mon! Let's go!"

Ruby and Penny both walked off to the café as Penny mentally congratulated herself on her work. Ruby had no idea about the big surprise Penny had planned for her.

Meanwhile, Atlas student Ciel Soleil had been reported missing after not being found in her room, ship or anywhere at Beacon. Her friends and family are very worried and hope she turns up safe soon.


	2. Velvet

-A café in Vale-

Ruby and Penny are sitting at a table just outside of the Café. Ruby is enjoying a nice, hot cup of coffee while Penny sits there, admiring her best friend.

"So." Ruby pipes up. "Have you been up to anything interesting, Penny?" She asks out of curiosity.

"Oh, not much." Penny says with a smile. She looks around to make sure no one is watching them. "I've had a little… 'Maintenance' done recently." Penny grinned at Ruby.

Ruby slurped on her coffee. "What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"Well… I-" Penny was cut off when a bright flash appeared in the corner of her eye.

This made both Penny and Ruby jump. They shot their heads towards the flash to confront whatever it was. Fortunately, it was only Velvet taking a picture of them.

"Hey guys!" The Faunus girl greeted them happily. "Sorry if a scared you. I was just practicing my photography!" Velvet said with an innocent smile.

"You're fine, Velvet." Ruby said reassuringly. "Hey… I don't think you two have officially met yet. Penny, this is Velvet. Velvet, meet Penny."

"Salutations!" Penny said with her arm out for a handshake.

"It's great to meet you! I love the way you fight with all those swords and lasers. You're amazing!" Velvet said excitedly while shaking Penny's hand. She had clearly been eager to meet Penny.

"Thank you! That's very sweet of you." Penny replied.

"So… What are you two doing here?" Velvet asked.

"We were just spending some quality time together as best friends!" Penny said looking very happy.

"Oh! That sounds like fun!" Velvet replied. "It's always fun to spend time with friends. The rest of my team and I do lots of stuff together! We go shopping, go out to eat, visit the library…"

As Velvet rambled on, Penny studied her. She watched all of Velvet's features very closely from the tip of her rabbit ears to the point of her toes. Penny remembered the old tale of how a rabbit's foot can bring good luck. Maybe that could help her become even better friends with Ruby… Penny had made her decision. Velvet would be the next one to help Penny complete her goal.

"-and we had a really great time that day!" Velvet finished.

Penny was staring at Velvet with a very large grin on her face.

Ruby seemed a little distracted.

"But anyway… I'm rambling on again." Velvet said with a giggle. "Have fun you two!" Velvet said as she walked off, taking more pictures of random people.

"Wait wha- Oh! Bye Velvet!" Ruby shouted as Velvet got further away. "She's really nice isn't she, Penny?"

"Yes. She is." Penny said with a smirk. She stood up out of her chair. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I have to go back to the ship. Hiccup. I'm required for combat training at this moment. Hiccup."

"Oh… Well, thanks for this, Penny! It was great seeing you again." Ruby said as she stood up.

"You too." Penny replied as she and Ruby hugged.

Ruby stopped. "Are you feeling ok, Penny? You seem very warm." Ruby asked.

"Oh dear. I must be overheating again. It happens every now and again. Hiccup." Penny replied.

Ruby squinted. "Ok… If you say so." She eased up. "See you soon!"

Penny waved to Ruby as she made her way to the Atlas ship.

-Penny's room-

Penny was once again writing in her diary. She seemed very excited.

"Dear diary. Last night was a great success! Ciel's arm is working perfectly. No one has found out yet which is good. Penny looked at the sealed bag under her bed containing the remains of Ciel. And I'll dump the rest of her body somewhere tonight when I continue with my next plan. Tonight, I'm going to get myself some lucky rabbit feet."

Penny stopped when General Ironwood knocked on her door.

"It's curfew now, Penny. Lights out." The General said while slightly sweating.

"Yes, sir." Penny replied as she started to look busy.

"Penny…" He said looking very distressed. "Do you know anything about Ciel's whereabouts? Her family is very worried about her safety."

Penny looked up. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything." Penny said as she tried her best to muffle a hiccup. "The last time I saw her was when she announced curfew last night." She once again tried to silence a hiccup.

Ironwood looked down. "Ok… Thank you Penny." He said as he exited Penny's room.

Penny brought out her scroll and started to dial Velvet's number. She made the call. It rang for a few second. Finally, Velvet picked up.

"Hello?" Velvet asked.

"Salutations, Velvet Scarlatina!" Penny greeted cheerfully.

"Oh! Hey Penny! Why are you calling so late?" Velvet asked.

"I was hoping we could spend some quality time together as friends tonight." Penny replied.

"I don't know…" Velvet said hesitantly. "It's pretty late and we could get in trouble for being out during curfew."

"Don't you want to be my friend? All friends spend quality time together. Please?" Penny said with a begging voice.

Velvet sighed. "Ok. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about the woods just outside your dorm?" Penny suggested.

"Somewhere close by? I like it. See you soon, Penny!" Velvet said excitedly.

"See you soon, friend! Oh! And try not to tell anyone where you're going. You could get into trouble." Penny mentioned.

"Got it! Bye!" Velvet replied.

They both hung up.

-In the woods, outside the Beacon dorms-

It was dark and Velvet was standing next to a tree just outside the dorm rooms. She felt safe knowing her team was just a shout away and that her new friend Penny would be with her soon. Velvet waited for about 10 minutes until she saw Penny emerge from around the corner.

"Hey Penny!" Velvet greeted Penny as she waved.

"Salutations, Velvet my friend!" Penny greeted back.

Velvet was overjoyed that Penny had called her a friend. She skipped happily over to Penny. "So what did you have in mind for our quality time?" Velvet asked.

"I was hoping we could take a nice walk in the woods and talk." Penny replied with an innocent smile.

Velvet, not wanting to be a bother, went along with this idea. After all… She didn't want to disappoint her new friend.

Penny and Velvet walked for about 20 minutes. They had covered enough distance that no one would be able hear or see them. Penny had been pretending to listen to Velvet throughout the entire walk.

"Then he started pulling my ears when all of a sudden, Yatsuhashi walked over and threw him across the entire cafeteria! It was so kind of him." Velvet continued the story she had been telling for the last 10 minutes.

Penny just smiled and nodded along.

"And that's how I and Yatsu started dating. Quite the story, huh?" Velvet said happily.

"Indeed it is! Hiccup" Penny said while looking around. "Could we stop for a moment? I need to fix my bow." Penny asked nicely.

"Of course!" Velvet said agreeing. She took her camera out and started taking pictures of the plant life around them.

Penny looked around again to make sure no one else was there. She brought the same chloroform and rag she used on Ciel. Penny pulled it out, poured the chloroform on the rag and slowly crept towards the unsuspecting Velvet like a cheetah to its prey. As soon as she was close enough Penny struck Velvet in the head and covered her mouth with the soaked rag.

Velvet dropped her camera and clawed at Penny's robotic arm to no avail. She was scared, panicking and losing consciousness. As a last ditch effort, Velvet started punching Penny in the head. Unfortunately for Velvet, Penny's metal skull was far too strong to be dented and Velvet burst open her knuckle. She looked in horror as blood started pouring from her fist. Velvet's eye lids became heavier as Penny's grip became stronger. She eventually closed her eyes and was out cold.

Penny slumped Velvet over her shoulder and carried her off.

-Abandoned shed in the woods-

Velvet's eyes slowly fluttered open. She could feel a pulsing pain on the back of her head. She tried to move but soon realised what kind of situation she was in. Velvet's hands had been restrained with chains above her head so she was dangling just above the ground. She looked around groggily and saw Penny with her back turned to Velvet. "P-Penny?" Velvet asked with tears of fear in her eyes. "Where are we? What are you doing?"

Upon hearing Velvet speak, Penny turned around to face her. She was holding one of her swords in her hand and a tall stool in the other. "Salutations, Velvet!" She said cheerfully. "Thank you so much for helping me!"

"Helping you? What are you talking about?" Velvet asked. She saw Penny's sword and tried to struggle free of the chains.

"Please calm down, Velvet. You're not going to break out of those." Penny started walking towards Velvet. "I want to become Ruby's best friend. And to do that, I need to become a real girl. So I need the parts to become that!" Penny had a large grin on her face.

Velvet's eyes widened in horror. She started breathing rapidly. "R-real girl? What are you talking about? You're human! Right?"

Penny stared Velvet dead in the eyes. Showing no emotion except a large grin. "Never judge a book by its cover, Miss Scarlatina."

Velvet was now panicking. "W-what do you want from me!? I have nothing of use to you! Penny, please! Just let me go! Ii won't tell anyone about this! I swear!" Velvet begged.

Penny was getting closer to Velvet. "I've heard that a rabbit's foot is a token of good luck. And I need as much luck as I can get for my mission." Penny placed a stool just in front of Velvet.

"What!? No! I'm not a rabbit! It's just my heritage!" Velvet shouted as she struggled against the chains to no avail.

Penny grabbed Velvet's leg and placed it on the stool. "Don't worry. You'll do just perfectly!"

Velvet was now in tears. "NO! Penny, I'm begging you! Please think about this!"

Penny didn't listen. She held down Velvet's leg with one hand and raised her sword in the air with her other hand. With massive force, Penny slammed the sword deep into the area above Velvet's foot, striking deep into her bone.

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Velvet screamed in agony as tears of pain rolled down her face. She had never felt pain like this before.

Penny began slicing back and forth with as much power as she could muster. Blood poured everywhere from the slice in Velvet's leg, all over the stool, on Velvet and even Penny. The deeper Penny cut through Velvet, the more strength she needed. The sound of Velvet's screams and bone breaking filled the little shed in the woods. Penny sliced repeatedly, inflicting more pain on poor Velvet with every stroke of the sword. Finally, Penny got through the bone and effortlessly cut through the remaining flesh in Velvet's leg. Velvet's foot had now been severed.

"GAAAAAAAAAGH! PLEASE STOP IT!" Velvet screamed and begged for Penny to stop this madness as blood gushed at every angle from the stump where her foot used to be.

Penny picked up the severed foot and admired it. "Wonderful!" Penny exclaimed. She looked at Velvet. "One down, one to go!" She said with a smile.

Velvet looked down in horror at her leg. "NO! NO MORE! PLEASE, PENNY!" Velvet screamed at Penny.

Penny picked up Velvet's remaining good leg and placed it on the bloody stool. Once again, she raised her sword and slammed it into the traumatized Velvet's leg.

"AAAAAAAAGH!" Velvet screamed in pain again. This time however, her scream was quieter than the last. The blood loss was taking its toll on Velvet. Her face started to go slightly pale.

Penny sliced through this bone with her full strength this time. As Penny was slicing, she thought to herself, "Ruby is going to love me for this! I can't wait until I have everything!"

Velvet shook violently trying to somehow escape. She pulled and pulled at the chains but they just wouldn't budge.

Blood covered the floor of the shed as Penny cut deeper and deeper until she sliced clean through the bone and then the flesh.

Velvet was weak. She was trembling and her face was pale white. "Please…" She muttered to Penny.

Penny ignored Velvet. She picked up the second foot and smiled in delight. "Sensational!" Penny shouted as she held the foot in the air.

Velvet didn't have the strength to even lift her head. She just hung there, crying and thinking of her team mates.

As Penny put the feet in her backpack she looked at Velvet. "Thank you for your assistance, Velvet! You're a great friend!"

Velvet said nothing. She just hung motionless.

Penny exited the shed, Leaving Velvet to bleed out. Dying. Dead.

-The city of Vale-

Penny walked around town happily, sporting her new feet. No one could tell the difference which means her plan worked perfectly. She was walking down a street when she heard the news on a TV in a shop window. Penny stopped to watch it.

"Good evening. I'm Lisa Lavender reporting. Today is a tragic and horrific day for all of us as an Atlas gym was found at the Beacon docks containing the body of the missing girl, Ciel Soleil. The bag was found earlier this morning by passers-by and was easily identified as Miss Soleil. The strangest thing about this was that the young girl's arm was missing. Her family has been informed and are devastated by this horrible tragedy. On top of all that, the body of Beacon student, Velvet Scarlatina has been found in an abandoned shed not far from the dormitories of the students. Her body was found butchered with blood everywhere and her feet missing. Miss Scarlatina's team are absolutely traumatized by this and say they have no idea how this happened. They say that Velvet went to sleep at the same time as them but was missing in the morning. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of these 2 young girls and we hope that whoever responsible for these horrific acts is brought to justice. Lisa Lavender signing out."

After seeing this, Penny said nothing. She just looked at her arm and then her feet. She smiled and continued walking. Wondering who the next person to help her would be.


	3. Zwei

It was a dark day at Beacon Academy. Two pupils from different schools had been found dead and mutilated. People were warned to stay in their homes at night and report any suspicious activity to the police or huntsmen. Everyone had been affected by these tragic loses… Except for one person. Penny happily walked through the streets of Vale with a smile on her face. She had never been this happy before. All thanks to the generous contributions from Ciel and Velvet to her anatomy. After hearing the news, Penny realised she had to be more careful. People would be more vigilant. And she couldn't have that, could she? Penny thought of who to go after next until she spotted her best friend, Ruby. Penny's eyes lit up with joy.

Ruby was looking very upset. She was wandering the streets taking her dog Zwei for a walk. The little corgi ran around the streets, looking very hyper. He spotted Penny and ran up to her, barking happily.

"Salutations!" Penny greeted Zwei. He was of no use to her. Penny needed human parts and not animal parts.

Zwei continued barking.

Ruby saw Penny and walked up to her and Zwei, still looking sad. "Hi Penny." Ruby said quietly with a little wave.

"Hey Ruby!" Penny noticed Ruby's sad expression. "What's wrong?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Didn't you hear? Velvets been killed… The girl we met yesterday." Ruby said as her voice trembled and a tear fell down her cheek.

Penny's eyes widened. She thought for a moment. "Oh no…" This was her doing. She made her best friend cry. But she couldn't spoil her surprise for Ruby. Penny was now very conflicted on what to do. She decided to act innocent and surprised as a cover up. "What!? That's… That's horrible!" She said with a fake shocked look on her face.

"I know…" Ruby said looking down. "Velvet's gone and everyone's afraid of some serial killer roaming Vale."

"How are you holding up?" Penny asked. "I know you two were friends." Penny put her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"I'm… I'm coping." Ruby said as she put on a brave smile. "What about you? I heard Ciel was found. You two were close right?" Ruby asked.

"Oh." Penny said with a surprised look on her face. "We were… More acquaintances than anything. It hurt at the time but I'm recovering."

Zwei continued to run circles around Penny and Ruby. He then waddled over to Penny and started sniffing around her legs. Zwei started growling.

Penny, realising that Zwei had caught her out, gently tried to push him away.

Zwei persisted and growled even louder.

"Ugh… Easy boy. Good dog?" Penny tried calming Zwei down.

Ruby stepped in and picked Zwei up. "What's gotten into you today?" She looked at Zwei who then started licking her face. "Ooooh… I can't stay mad at you!" Ruby said as she petted Zwei. She was now very happy. "Sorry about him Penny."

Penny's eye twitched. This mutt was giving his love to Ruby. Penny's best friend, Ruby. This was unacceptable! Ruby was Penny's friend! No one else deserved her! She couldn't allow them to give her their inferior love and friendship. Something had to be done about this dog…

"Penny? Are you ok?" Ruby asked with concern.

Penny snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh. Yes. I'm fine, Ruby. Hiccup"

"Got the hiccups again?" Ruby asked with a slight giggle.

"Um… Yes. That's it!" Penny exclaimed trying to act natural.

Ruby squinted at Penny. "Ok… I'll see you soon, Penny. Take care." Ruby went in to hug Penny with Zwei still in her arms.

Penny hugged back. "Take care, Ruby my friend!"

Zwei sniffed Penny's human arm and growled again.

Penny swiftly exited the hug. "Goodbye!" Penny said as she quickly walked off in the opposite direction of Ruby and Zwei.

"Bye!" Ruby shouted to the quick footed Penny. She then held Zwei in front of her. "You shouldn't growl at Penny. She's our friend!" Ruby scolded Zwei.

Zwei whined slightly and hopped on to the ground, waddling ahead of Ruby with a happy bark.

Ruby followed her canine companion down the street.

-Team RWBY's dorm room-

In the dorm room at beacon, everything was quiet. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang were all fast asleep. The little corgi, Zwei, lay sleeping on Blake's bed. It was 3am and very dark.

Suddenly, a small head appeared from outside RWBY's window. It was Penny who had easily scaled the wall and made it up to the window. She was out for this mutt's blood. Penny looked around to make sure nobody was watching her. Security had been increased ever since Ciel and Velvet were found so Penny had to be vigilant. Then, Penny easily opened the window. Thankfully it was unlocked which gave her easy access to the dorm. Silently and stealthily, Penny crept in from the window sill and into the room. She made sure not to make a sound. One wrong move and she would be trapped in a room with four angry and well trained huntresses. Penny's artificial vision could see clearly through the dark and she easily located Zwei. Penny knew that Zwei would put up a fight with lots of barking involved, so she had to make this knockout a quick one. She brought the necessary supplies needed: Her trusty chloroform and a sack big enough to fit a small dog in it.

Penny approached Zwei who was sitting at the foot of Blake Belladonna's bed and readied her rag. With a quick strike, she forced the rug over Zwei's entire mouth and grabbed him tightly.

Zwei instantly woke up and started to struggle and bite Penny.

This did not affect Penny and she ran out of the room window, closing the window behind her without a trace.

Zwei shook and struggled in Penny's arms but the chloroform was starting to take its toll on the little dog, making him slower and more tired.

Penny jumped down from the window sill on to the grass below, squeezing Zwei tighter and tighter. She didn't need anything from him. She just wanted the dog to suffer for trying to come between Penny and her best friend. Penny squeezed the life out of poor Zwei, crushing his ribcage and some organs.

Cracking and crunching could be heard as muffled yelps and whines tried to escape from Penny's grasp. Zwei couldn't take much more of Penny's unrelenting punishment and slowly passed out.

Penny, satisfied with her current work, threw Zwei into the sack and carried him off.

-Vale docks-

The docks in Vale were always empty at night which meant Penny could finish this job cleanly. She had the sack containing the crushed and unconscious Zwei over her shoulder as she made her way to the Pier's edge. The water was surprisingly deep at night with the tide coming in. Perfect for drowning a dog. Zwei would regret the day he ever touched Ruby. Penny took the sack and held it high over the pier's edge above the water below. Without any mercy or remorse, Penny dropped the sack and heard a small splash as Zwei hit the water and eventually sank to the bottom. Penny smiled with an evil grin. She had taken out the competition and was now another step closer to being Ruby's true best friend. Satisfied with her work, Penny made her way back to her room on the Atlas ship and powered down for the night. There was no stopping this emotion-fuelled machine.


	4. Emerald

-Streets of Vale-

It was a sunny day in Vale and Penny was feeling very cheery. She had taken out that meddling mutt, Zwei and was on the prowl for a new limb donator.

"Hmmm…." Penny thought to herself. "I almost got caught out by that dog yesterday. Perhaps I should take something that's not on the body, but on the head." Penny continued walking down the street until she came across a shop window and looked at her reflection. She looked closely and smiled at how much more human she was becoming. Penny stared deep into her own eyes and grinned. "That's it. Eyes."

"Heya Penny!" A voice from behind Penny surprised her.

Penny turned around to be greeted by Emerald Sustrai. "Oh. Salutations Emerald!"

Emerald was wearing her usual white, green and brown outfit and looked quite happy today. "What are you doing out here all by yourself? Have you not heard about the murders?" She said jokingly teasing Penny.

"Hm? Oh. That. I won't worry about them. I can take care of myself!" Penny exclaimed with a proud look on her face.

"Hahaha!" Emerald laughed. "Is that so? Well just be careful, friend." She said to Penny.

Penny started to zone out for a moment. She was mystified by Emerald's ruby-red eyes. They were perfect! Just the kind of eyes Penny had been looking for. They just had to be hers.

"Penny?" Emerald asked for the third time. "Are you… Okay?"

Penny snapped out of it. "Whoops! Sorry about that." Penny said in an apologetic manner.

"You should get some rest. You look pretty tired." Emerald said with a caring smile.

Penny smiled back. "That's a wonderful idea!" Penny replied. "I'll see you soon, Emerald!" Penny said as she walked away from Emerald, still with a big smile on her face.

"Take care!" Emerald shouted back. As soon as she turned around, Emerald rolled her eyes in disgust and walked off, clearly annoyed by the cheeriness of the little robot girl.

"Be careful, friend? Daaaaw! How adorable." A voice sneered at Emerald from a back alley.

Emerald glared. "I'm glad you think so, Mercury. Will it still be adorable when I say it while shoving your foot up your a-"

"Calm down, calm down. It was a joke, Em." Mercury said as he emerged from the alley.

Emerald huffed. "I can't wait to get out of this place. Everyone's just so… Ugh!"

"Now that we can agree on." Mercury smirked. "How's the android doing?"

"Cheery as always. Except… Something was different." Emerald said with a concerned look on her face. "She kept staring at me."

"That's how conversations work, Em. Someone talks and the other person watches and listens." Mercury said smugly.

"Not like this. She stared right into my eyes. Like… She was studying them." Emerald noted.

"I'm telling you, you're overthinking things. It's not real. It'll do weird, non-human things. We just gotta relax and follow our orders." Mercury said.

"Fine… But if she goes crazy and starts killing people, I'll say I told you so." Emerald said jokingly.

"Heh. Point taken." Mercury replied.

"So… You still up for tonight? Same place?" Emerald asked.

"Always." Mercury smirked as the two walked off together.

-Streets of Vale at night-

Penny had heard rumours that Mercury and Emerald would often sneak out at night. She saw this as a perfect opportunity to catch her prize. It was dark in the streets and the street lights were the only things lighting the area. Penny waited patiently in an alley near the place where Mercury and Emerald supposedly met every night. She made sure she was well hidden in the shadows.

Emerald was the first of the duo to arrive. She was earlier than usual just to win a bet against Mercury. "Ha! Showed him." She spoke to herself quietly. Emerald leaned against the wall of a shop, waiting for Mercury to arrive. She looked around every so often to make sure nobody was watching her.

Penny saw an opportunity. With her eyes on the prize, she started making loud footsteps in the alley near Emerald in an attempt to lure her in.

Emerald immediately went on alert as she heard these footsteps. "Mercury?" She started approaching the alley. "Told you I'd get here first." She smirked as she reached the entrance of the alley. Emerald looked down the long alley, but could barely see a thing as the only source of light was a dim, dying street light from the outside. "I know you're in there, man. Come on out."

There was nothing but silence.

"Fine. If you're not coming out, I'm dragging you out." Emerald glared and started making her way into the dark alley.

Penny was waiting eagerly at the end of the alley. Her synthetic vision could easily see through the darkness. As a precaution, Penny put on a white ski mask to conceal her face. Vale had been put on high alert so she had to take measures. Penny watched in anticipation as Emerald stumbled her way through the dark, looking for Mercury.

Emerald was now becoming impatient. "If you even try to scare me I'll kick your ass. Just a heads up." She called out with an annoyed tone in her voice. Emerald had almost reached the end of the alley where Penny was. She could slightly make out a figure. "There you are, you jack-ass. Come on. Let's loot the shop." She smirked.

The figure didn't move an inch. It just stayed there. Silently.

"Mercury? You all right?" Emerald asked as she moved closer to the figure.

Suddenly, Penny lunged at Emerald. She grabbed her into a choke hold with her arm crushing against Emerald's mouth.

"Mmmmmmmph! Mmmmmph!" Emerald tried screaming only to have her calls muffled by Penny. Emerald tried to reach for her guns but was unable to as Penny had her arms trapped.

Penny, wanting to get the job done quickly, moved her free hand to Emerald's face and pulled her left eye open.

Emerald kicked and struggled but was no use against Penny's superior strength. She tried using her semblance on the figure, but Penny's artificial mind was not affected.

Penny struck Emerald in the back with her knee to try and stop her struggling. She then, still holding Emerald's eye open, started sliding her thumb underneath Emerald's eye lid.

"MMMMMMMPH!" Emerald screamed in pain as she felt the cold thumb press against her sensitive eyeball. Tears started naturally emitting from her eyes.

As Penny moved her thumb in more, she started tearing at Emerald's eyelid. Cracks started appearing in it with blood slowly emitting from them. Eventually, the eyelid tore straight in half from the centre as Penny's thumb reached the back of Emerald's eyeball.

"MMMMMMMMPPPPPHHHH!" Emerald's muffled screams intensified as she thrashed around in complete pain.

With a flick of her thumb, Penny popped Emerald's left eyeball from its socket, leaving it dangling by the cord. She moved her hand to the eyeball and started tugging and pulling at it, soon completely ripping it from Emerald's skull.

Emerald screamed in pain and terror. She could no longer see anything from her left side. She still tried to struggle against Penny but was now slightly weakened.

Penny kneed Emerald in the back again, this time fracturing her spine slightly.

Emerald screamed again against Penny's arm, clinging to it and clawing at it in a weak effort to escape.

Penny placed the eyeball in her pocket and moved her hand to Emerald's right eye, about to do the same thing.

Emerald managed to budge Penny's arm a little off of her mouth. "PLEASE STO-" She shouted before being silenced once more.

Penny, wasting no time, tore her way straight through Emerald's eyelid this time instead of going under it. Her thumb burst through the eyelid like a scalpel to jelly, causing blood to start pouring from it.

Emerald's previously vacated eye socket was already filling with blood from her torn eyelid. "MMMMMMMMMMMMMPH!" She screamed against Penny's arm as her right eyelid was completely demolished.

Penny wrapped her thumb around the back of Penny eyeball. She managed to find the cord attaching it to her skull and slowly started twisting it.

Emerald screamed as she could slowly see her vision fading in that eye.

With one final twist, Penny snapped the cord and released Emerald's eyeball into her hand. She dropped it into her pocket with the other one and smiled to herself. But before Penny could have time to celebrate, she heard footsteps coming from behind her and Emerald. Penny dropped Emerald and turned around, only to be greeted by a powerful boot to the face which sent her flying into a wall.

It was Mercury. "GAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He immediately ran after Penny with rage in his eyes.

Penny knew this would only cause a scene. With quick thinking, she easily scaled the alley by jumping from wall to wall and on to the roof.

By the time Mercury got to the end of the alley, Penny was long gone. What's worse is he never managed to see the attacker's concealed face. But the worst thing hit him when he heard a weak voice from behind him.

"M-mercury? Gagh!" Emerald tried crawling to where she could hear Mercury stepping. She was completely blind with both of her eyes missing.

"Em!" Mercury shouted as he kneeled down to pick Emerald up. He carried her in his arms with ease and started rushing out of the alley and towards the hospital. "Jesus Christ! What the fuck did he do to you!?" Mercury asked in disbelief as he saw Emerald's blood-filled eye sockets.

"I… Can't… See…" Emerald whimpered weakly as she was carried off by Mercury to the hospital.

-Penny's Room in an Atlas ship-

Penny wandered around her room the next day testing out her eyes by just looking at everything. "Woah!" She exclaimed as she saw herself in the mirror. Penny was rocking her new red eyes. She decided to switch on the TV to see if her latest donator was on the news. The news broadcast started.

"Good evening, I'm Lisa Lavender. Another shocking attack from the Vale body thief has left a poor girl in critical condition. Emerald Sustrai was out with her friend Mercury Black, when the killer attacked them and gauged out Miss Sustrai's eyes. Emerald was immediately defended and brought to the hospital by Mr Black, who claims that the attacker just appeared and disappeared like a shadow. Miss Sustrai is currently recovering in the hospital while officials still have no leads on this monstrous killer. Unfortunatly, she may never be the same again after this. Lisa Lavender signing o-"

Penny switched off the TV before it could finish. She smiled and admired herself more In the mirror. Her eye, feet and right arm were all beautifully human. Soon Ruby would have to make Penny her best friend. Penny just needed a little more…


End file.
